Dads banned from maternity wards, scans and NICU

[HatRack]

Thoughts? It's like warping back to the 50s.

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Or just trying to keep people alive.

[Daisypod]

I am currently pregnant and if this is needed for the safety of all then fair enough. I would obviously much rather have my husband at scans etc but if needs must.

[Robs20]

Would love to have my husband at my c section in 3 weeks/ with me afterwards but understand the rules can’t be changed for me. At my hospital both parents are allowed in nicu.

[HatRack]

Interesting that dads are seen as dispensable outside of their financial capacities. I'm no MRA, but if I were male I'd be hurt at how easy dads are deleted from family life. Many studies have highlighted the importance of bonding in the first few days and weeks of life.

[eurochick]

Having been through the hell that is having a baby in nicu, I don't know how I would have got through it if my husband hadn't been able to be there too.

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Interesting that dads are seen as dispensable outside of their financial capacities

How?

I'd be hurt at how easy dads are deleted from family life

Actually, I see now that you are just trying to be inflamtory.

[TorysSuckRevokeArticle50]

They're not seen as dispensable, but they have no medical need to be in the hospital, obviously pregnant women, labouring women and babies do have a medical need.

[Ragwort]

People are dying with no one to hold their hand ... I am sure (most) healthy women can manage their maternity appointments without their partner by their side.

[TheArchSorcererofContwaraburg]

It's not about personal feelings of hurt, it's about saving the lives of pregnant women and newborn babies. Amazing how people whose dads are out on deployment or who are adopted can still bond so well with their parents.

Get over yourself, there's a global pandemic on that a baby and 2 children have died from already. Babies have been born with this virus and ill.

No visitors are allowed now to any hospitals because patients' lives need to be the priority.

[NemophilistRebel]

Dads in postnatal wards are generally unhelpful noisy nightmares for the rest of the people there

As long as dads can be there for the birth I think the nhs are really doing as much as they can to accommodate

Some trusts are still allowing dads to visit after

[HatRack]

The impact of inadequate bonding could be seen as medical from a mental health perspective. The mental health of dad, baby and mum.

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

I don’t think dads need be there at scans and appointments; I’ve always felt most aren’t needed to stay on the wards either (assuming no csection or post labour trauma). I do hope we don’t get to a situation they aren’t allowed at the birth- thats horrendous for the mothers.

[VettiyaIruken]

I'd rather reduce risk of dying as much as possible.

They aren't being banned because they are men FFS. They are being banned because we're in the middle of a pandemic so serious that governments are choosing economic ruin over free movement.

You really think that mums, aunties, female partners etc etc are being allowed to be birth partners and it's all about sticking it to the menz?

Good grief.

[ChipotleBlessing]

It increases everyone’s safety to reduce the number of people there. The mother is rather essential, so it has to be the fathers who are excluded. I’ve had two babies in NICU, it would have been harder without DH but that’s better than introducing coronavirus onto a ward of super vulnerable babies.

[JasonPollack]

Do you have a source for this? At our hospital dad's were still allowed for women in active labour. Just not prenatal or postnatal.

[Ginger1982]

My understanding is they can be there for labour and birth but have to leave thereafter and can't visit. This would have affected me quite badly if it had been happening when I had DS as I was quite poorly after my EMCS
but it's being done to save lives so we really can't complain.

[GinUnicorn]

At my hospital currently dads are allowed for labour (not postnatal ward) and home births are still allowed (which I am hoping will still be the case in a few weeks tine as I planned one!) it’s a tough situation but medical staff are just trying to keep us all safe.

[nicknamehelp]

I really don't think missing the birth will stop bonding. And Im sure NICU are doing all they can but most paediatric wards in the country are limiting it to one career only ag present which yes believe me is hard on both parents but is being done to keep everyone safe particularly the babies who are not immune to this.

[OhCrumbsWhereNow]

Oh for fuck sake wise up HatRack.

There is no medical need for fathers to be in hospital. Bonding with daddy does not need daddy there for the very small number of hours/days that the vast majority of mothers and babies will be in.

The safety of mothers, babies and medical staff during a global pandemic trumps daddy's mental health as well.

[DianaT1969]

This is such a goady bullshit thread. Have you read any news on the last couple of months OP? There a thing called Coronavirus and it's highly infectious. Our HCPs are at risk of dying because hospitals are treating so many Coronavirus cases.
But you are worried about a newly born father and child bonding more??? They'll be able to bond 24/7 when the child and mother leave hospital because there is also a thing called 'lockdown'. Google it

[user1493413286]

Keeping people alive is the priority; any extra people are dispensable. My DH missed the birth of our first DD, and and due to her being admitted to SCBU and him needing to go back to work until she was discharged his time with her in the first couple of weeks was minimal - no issues with bonding. The first couple of days are not essential to bonding. I barely saw DD in the first couple of days due to my own health and again caused no issues. The first few weeks I would agree but first couple of days I don’t agree.

[Mlou32]

Erm what?? No one is deleting dads from babies lives; in case you hadn't noticed, we're in the grip of a pandemic and extremely unusual measures are being taken to mitigate the risk to health and life that the pandemic is posing.

[MunaZaldrizoti]

Get over yourself OP

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-52107677

[LittleLittleLittle]

OP what hospital is this?

Apart from scans, antenatal and postnatal wards different hospital trusts have different rules on labour rooms and NICU. This is because in NICU the baby is the patient.

[TheArchSorcererofContwaraburg]

The impact of inadequate bonding could be seen as medical from a mental health perspective. The mental health of dad, baby and mum.

So can dead mothers and babies who were exposed to the virus due to someone's selfish need to be surgically attached to another person who's not a patient. Imagine the mental health of the family after this happens?

You're just shit stirring.